What You Missed This Morning Photo Comp. Grand Finals

I've found in previous competitions that they often lose momentum after running for more than a couple weeks. This time however I'm going to be disappointed to see this competition pass. Every morning I woke up excited to see the dozens of photos waiting in my inbox. There were so many good ones that didn't get posted but unfortunately I had to draw the line somewhere. It's been an absolute pleasure and I thank you for taking part.

During this competition I’ve had lots of requests to use pocket cameras and DSLR’s. The quality of some of the photos would most likely be better if we allowed this, however I felt it would create too much of a barrier for everyone to compete. The camera phone is a great equalizer. Almost everyone has a camera phone these days, there’s lots of apps that turn regular photos into great photos, and it takes the emphasis off of expensive equipment. I’ve received nearly 2000 photos in the past 6 weeks and I’m glad that this competition has inspired some of you to get out there, be creative, and share some of your best moments on a bike. I’m blown away at the quality and composition of many of these photos that were taken on mobile phone cameras. From what I’ve seen the iPhone4 takes some of the best quality photos. Combined with apps such as Hipstamatic, Lomo, or The Best Camera, some real jems have been submitted.

In order to doll out the prizes between Australian and International competitors we’ll have to sort the finalists into two categories. There have been a few PRO submissions as well. Since this is unfair in every regard as they are constantly riding around the best roads on earth I’ll separate them into their own category as well.

Aussie and Kiwi Finalists

Since most of CyclingTips’ sponsors do business in the Australian market it’s easy to understand why many of the prizes are eligible to Australian residence only. We have some great prizes up on offer and I sincerely thank our sponsors for their generosity.

Here are the top photo finalists submitted by Aussie and Kiwi residents. These have been selected based on composition, caption, originality and overall theme. I’ve taken the liberty in creating a title to each of these so they’re identifiable in voting.

Sleeping In | Dave

Even though my wife is mad about cycling too, it’s hard to resist a lie in once in a while… | Dave

Hors Catégorie | Owen Richards

A photo of the Hors categorie climb Luz-Ardiden, France. Taken near the top, looking back down the climb at my friend Mark in a world of pain. Taken with iphone 4 and edited in photoshop | Owen Richards

Construction Zone | Nicholas

Outside Yarra Glen – got a bit lost and ended up in a construction zone | Nicholas Allen

Mt.Wellington | Henry

Winter training on the lower slopes of Mt.Wellington in Hobart. At this time of year normally chilly rides become a little more chilling due to the snow that falls quite low on many of the good climbs around Hobart. It adds a surreal aspect to riding and makes for great photos! This picture taken with an iphone 3G and edited with the Adobe PhotoShop Express App. | Henry

Go Ritchie! | Christian

Taken on iPhone 3G (no modification), at timing station 1km from finish of elite men’s time trial at Worlds. Richie Porte going into warp speed trying to catch Martin | Christian

Early Morning Scarborough | Shaun

Taken from the northern tip of Redcliffe looking out over Deception Bay/Moreton Bay | Shaun

Tenerife | Peter

What you missed this morning.. …. in Tenerife, at 2200m. Sent from my iPhone 4 –Peter Smith

On The Fence | Nicholas

Day 2 (Rathdowney to Casino) of our four day cycling tour of South-East Queensland and Northern NSW. Just past the Mt. Lyndsey climb and we had our first puncture. Whilst waiting for the puncture to be fixed, the bunch instinctively leant their bikes up against the barbed wire fence – and with that backdrop, well a photo opportunity if there ever was one. Taken on an iPhone 3G using Photogene and then additional post-processing done on the phone using Camera Kit. –Nicholas

Magpies | Jeremy

This photo was taken in the Keiwa Valley, this morning and should probably be titled “What you are glad you missed this morning” This is a shot of my mate Kel Boers being dive-bombed by a couple of excited Collingwood supporters. It was taken on my iphone 3GS| Jeremy

Williamstown Cycle Chic | Iain

The morning after after AFL in Willianstown. Taken on iphone3g -Iain

Early Start | Leigh Schilling

Who says 3 year olds cant look forward to their morning ride? Getting off road and dirty. shot with HTC Desire. -Leigh Schilling

Sydney Harbour | Peter

Harbour Bridge Cyclepath – Taken with iphone, 3G |Peter

Waiting For The Stragglers | Jeff

Taken on a Tuesday Morning ride, after a sprint. We all stop at the Raffles Hotel and wait for the rest of the group to catch up. –Jeff

Kangaroo Valley | Marcus

On a cold day three gentlemen rose slowly up out of the fog in the Kangaroo Valley into beautiful sunshine, before swooping down into town for refreshment and tall tales. –Marcus

Voting

There are six (6) prizes up for grabs, so you can submit a vote for up to 6 of your favorite photos. The photo with the most votes will win the Grand Prize wheelset, 2nd place gets the Garmin Edge 500 with 1 year Strava membership, 3rd place gets the Giro Ionos helmet from Bikeforce, 4th place gets the 2 year subscription to RIDE Cycling Review, 5th place gets the BMC messenger bag, and 6th place gets the Vuelta gift pack from TopBike Tours. In the case of a tie I will choose the best photo based on bribes, compliments, crit lead-out offers, and the odd push in the Warny tomorrow ;-)

International Finalists

I was overwhelmed with many amazing photo submissions from international readers. I wish I had more prizes to give away however I do have one good one – a CyclingTips jersey and knicks made by Capo. Even though the prize pool isn’t as good I want to thank all of you for taking part in the fun. Place your vote below (votes will only be registered once).

Lost | Michael Tabtabai

My two friends checking a map after a road we had planned to ride on was closed for construction. We were in the middle of a 17-day, 2200 mile ride, and I was not excited about adding another 5 miles to a 120+ mile day. The photo was taken with an iPhone 4 in Stryker, Ohio in the early morning.